Lady Hermon MP (North Down) (Independent) asked to what extent the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was assisting persecuted Christians around the world. Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) David Lidington MP (Aylesbury) (Con) replied: The promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief is one of the UK’s human rights…
Nigel Baker, UK Ambassador to the Holy See, blogged on this topic yesterday on the Foreign Office website. “The question of freedom of religion or belief is a challenging and sensitive one. It is a fundamental right, touching the conscience of the individual, underpinning many other rights,” he said, continuing “we must ensure that FoRB remains…
Lord Alton of Liverpool, vice chair of this APPG, has asked a series of written questions on issues of persecution. He asked if the Government have requested that the United National Security Council refer those responsible for religious persecution in the areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by ISIS to the International Criminal Court. Responding,…
After being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Indian children’s rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, Malala Yousafza said “One is from Pakistan. One is from India. One believes in Hinduism. One strongly believes in Islam. And it gives a message to people. It gives a message to people of love between Pakistan and India and between different…
The United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, is currently reviewing Sri Lanka’s respect for rights enshrined in the key human rights treaty: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This is the first such assessment since 2003. “Sri Lanka still relies on draconian laws to silence dissent. Torture and enforced disappearances…
“Doing more begins with finding the political will to use the many tools already at our disposal,” says Peter van Dalen, Member of the European Parliament for the Netherlands, Co-Chair of the European Parliament Working Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, in a blog on the Huffington Post. “Freedom of religion or belief is recognized as…
Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Association, has analysed data from the most recent Pew Research Center studies and statistics from the United Nations, and concluded there is a direct correlation between religious freedom and gender equality. “When you have religious freedom, you have a diversity of both viewpoints and how that religion is…
Members of Pakistan’s Sikh community say they have been singled out and attacked increasingly, reports Reuters. “I have run this business for the last 22 years. Never in my life have I experienced such insecurity,” says Amarjeet. “Around 60 percent of our shops are closed due to security concerns. Many parents are not sending their…
The Vatican is demanding that Christians and other religious minorities from Iraq and Syria have the right to return to their homes that have been emptied by Islamic militants. Pope Francis summoned Vatican ambassadors from across the region for three days of meetings. At the conclusion on Saturday, they reaffirmed that military force was justified to…
Andrew Bennett, Canada’s religious freedom ambassador, begins a one-week fact-finding mission to Ukraine today, convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin is orchestrating the persecution of Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Muslim Tatars. Russian forces have kidnapped priests, detained nuns, fire-bombed churches and intimidated worshippers, he says. The Russian forces are targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the…